MURFREESBORO, N.C. – The Chowan University football team closed out the regular season on Saturday afternoon, holding off Shorter University for a 23-20 victory at Garrison Stadium. The win secured a share of the Conference Carolinas regular-season championship, marking the first Conference Carolinas football title in program history. The Hawks finished the regular season with a 6-4 overall record and a 5-1 mark in conference play.
The victory also featured two significant individual milestones for the Hawks. Amir Alexander surpassed 1,000 receiving yards for the season and became the fourth Hawk to do so in program history, while Tyler Adkins moved up the single season touchdowns list and Chowan's single-season passing yards lists. Adkins finished the afternoon with 161 passing yards and three touchdowns, bringing his season total to 2,862 yards.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Chowan 23, Shorter 20
RECORDS: Chowan (6-4,5-1), Shorter (3-7,2-4)
LOCATION: Murfreesboro, N.C. (Garrison Stadium)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Chowan came out strong in the opening quarter, taking advantage of an early interception by Altiziano Edwards. Edwards picked off a Shorter pass and returned it 44 yards to set the Hawks up in scoring position. The offense capitalized as Adkins connected with Alexander for a 17-yard touchdown to put Chowan ahead 7-0 and give Alexander 1000 yards on the season. The Hawks added to their lead on the next scoring opportunity, with Adkins finding Luke Krall for a four-yard touchdown reception to take a 13-0 advantage.
Shorter answered with a 17-yard touchdown pass late in the first quarter. Hill added a 32-yard rushing touchdown early in the second quarter to even the score at 13-13. Chowan responded with a nine-play, 74-yard drive just before halftime, capped by a 12-yard touchdown connection from Adkins to Krall for a second time. The score gave the Hawks a 20-13 lead heading into the break.
The defenses controlled much of the third quarter before Chowan extended its advantage with a 23-yard field goal from Riley Swanson with 4:57 remaining in the period. Shorter found the end zone again early in the fourth quarter on a two-yard run by Hill, cutting the margin to 23-20.
Chowan's defense came up with key stops down the stretch to preserve the lead. After the Hawks were forced to punt with under two minutes remaining, Shorter moved into Chowan territory looking for a game-winning score. The defense held, as Cameron Richardson made two back-to-back assisted tackles and Jerrel Howard forced a turnover on downs with an interception. Chowan took possession and ran out the remaining time to secure the 23-20 victory.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Adkins completed 15-of-29 passes for 161 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, while adding 42 yards on the ground. Braden Brimhall also completed his lone pass attempt for 41 yards, giving Chowan 202 passing yards as a team. Alexander led the receiving group with five catches for 55 yards and a touchdown. Dezmond Randolph added three receptions for 85 yards, while Krall finished with four catches for 38 yards and two touchdowns. James Williams would add three receptions for 20 yards. On the ground, Treshawn Blair led Chowan with 45 yards on 14 carries, followed by Adkins with 42 yards and Timothy Baker Jr. with 21.
Defensively, Darian Whitaker led the Hawks with 10 total tackles, including one tackle for loss and a half sack. Darryl Harris recorded nine tackles, while Carmell McCloud added eight. Cameron Richardson, Tayshawn Benson and Zachary Jones each finished with six tackles. Jylon Council and Joe Lewis recorded a sack apiece, while Malachi Howell added a half sack. Edwards contributed the early interception and a 44-yard return as Chowan's defense totaled three sacks, seven tackles for loss and five quarterback hurries.
Swanson finished 1-for-1 on field goal attempts, connecting from 23 yards, and added two successful extra points. Laurence Wallace averaged 36.3 yards on six punts, while Krall returned three punts for 36 yards.
As a team, Chowan totaled 304 yards of offense, including 202 through the air and 102 on the ground. The Hawks recorded 17 first downs and held Shorter to 270 total yards, including 102 passing yards. Chowan's defense also forced one interception and limited the visitors to 4-of-14 on third-down conversions.
UP NEXT
Chowan looks towards postseason play on Saturday, November 14, when the Hawks host an opponent from the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) in the Conference Carolinas Bowl. Kickoff is scheduled at Garrison Stadium with the opponent and game time awaiting to be determined.
